Lace eyelet



July 3, 1923. I

J. T. HARPER LACE EYELET Filed July 20, 1921 Patented July 3,1923. I

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fApplication filed July 20,119'21, iser i'aiivqt nsa is i" 7 To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1,: JOHN citizen of the United States, residing" at Leoti, in the county of Wichita and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and 'use-.

ful Improvements in Lace Eyelets; and I do, hereby declare the following to be a full, clear. and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and'use the same.

The object is to provide a simple and readily applicable lacing eyelet for "shoes and other garments which will provide for a uniform tensioningof the lacing, a free-running movement thereof and a proper-positioning of the edges of the garment relative to each other, which can be constructed at a small cost and applied to the garment with-' out special preparation of the latter and which will adapt itself to strains applied to the lacin so as to insure comfort to the wearer 0 the garment, and with these ob-' jects in view, the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is aview of a shoe equipped with lacing eyelets embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a detail-edge view of one of the eyelets showing the edge-of a garment in section, I

Figure 3 1s a detail view of one of the eyelets detached, the ends of the same being interlocked,

Figure 4 is a similarview with the ends of the eyelets separated as they appear prior to the laststep in the formation of the eyelet, v p

Figure 5 is a view of the blank from which the eyelet is formed and showing the same as it may be stamped from a sheet of metal or other suitable material, and p Figure 6 is a detail view of the completed eyelet, illustrating the relative position of its parts before it is applied to a garment, a portion ofthe outer side member of the eyelet being in longitudinal section.

The eyelet consists of a loop of which the side members 10 and 11 respectively carry interlocking complemental means such as the eye 12 and the tongue 18, the latter being struck from the arm or side 11 of the loop and as originally formed lying within the contour and area thereof andbeing separated throughout its length from the remaining T. 'HARIER, aJ

portion l. i

In applying a; tyne tone an-aet mhe tongue which is preferably reducedsuhstantially toya point is deflected inwardly at f right angles tothe plane ofthe armor side '11 of the loop andaft'er passing through the i I edge portionot the garment shownat 15 is passed through the eye 12 and then bent rearwardly or away from the loopj-asshown portion orstra -si etetrabytreat at 13 to clamp theeyecarryingendof the side rm1 in contact with the surface of the garment.

' This method of mounting-permits of a swinging movementof the eyelet in .the

plane of the garment to adaptitself to the direction of strain applied thereto- 'by'the lacing 17, and asapplied to shoes .an eyelet in addition vbeing arranged at each side of,

the opening of the vamp or upper maybe arranged at the lowerend of said opening y where the side edges of the upper come together or intersect as shown at 18 to receive the loopof-the lace.

The eyelets permit fer the free slidin movement of the lace therethrough and to facilitate this movement the looped ends thereof are preferably rounded as'indicated at 19 to avoid contact of the edges 'wit'hthe lace and therefore the chafingwhich might result therefrom.

Obviously the eyelet may be attached to v the garment merely by passing the tongue through the latter and the eye ofthe other arm or side of the loopand then crimping or pressing the end of the tongue back as above described, "and hence. practically in a single operation, and if the 'deviceis used in connection with shoes already provided'with the ordinary forms ofeyelets, the lattermay be utilized as thetopenings through which the tongues are passed, so that the device is adapted to be used as au'attachment to shoes already in use or'alreadyprovided wiith lac in g eyelets of the ordinary form.

Furthermore, it will be obvious thatthe 7 eyelets as described may be rendered practically inconspicuous by coloring the same to-agreewith that ofthe leather or other material forming, the garment, or maybe made decorativeor attractive in design and A lacing eyelet consisting of a blank formed into substantiallyw parallel sp eced arms; vvone of thealrms adj a'c'ent its free end having a slot therethrough, the other arm I opposite said slot being reduced in'widtifl'fa relatively narrow tongue "ektending 'from L the reduced portion and adapted for pes sage through said slot, that portion o f the tongue lying between ssrid re clueed portion H and slot when the eyelet is fastenedin 'position ,being disposed through an, artiele. to

'secure the eye1et"'inp1ace', the lace beipg'.-. dis- 1 e ee n ere e 1, wa e s "suriece win he' convexed.

in'presence of two witnesses.

[J HN HARPER.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 

